Combat Guard armored vehicle can climb walls

Israeli Military Industries has introduced its newest extreme armored vehicle: the Combat Guard.

According to Defense Update, the hulking 4×4 rides on 54-inch tires, has 2.3 feet of ground clearance, can ford over 5 feet of water and, with wheels positioned beyond the ends of the body of the vehicle, has approach and departure angles of 90 degrees, essentially allowing it to drive up a small vertical wall.

Powered by a 300 hp version of the General Motors 6.5-liter diesel engine used in the AM General Humvee, the Combat Guard has a top speed of 93 mph, carries up to 3300 pounds of payload, and can climb a 70 percent gradient.

A modular design allows for several configurations, and the vehicle can be outfitted to accommodate as many as eight troops, or six with a turret gun on the roof. But the coolest feature may be its clamshell-style rear passenger doors, which bring function with their action movie form. The bottom half does double duty as a staircase offering easy access to the high cab for heavily equipped troops.

No word on when, where or if the Combat Guard will be deployed, but it made its public debut this week at the Eurosatory convention in Paris, the world’s largest exhibition of defense and security vehicles.